Keyboard mechanism for printing-machines.



B. A. ADGOGK. KEYBOARD MECHANISM FOR PRINTINGMAGHINES.

APPLIUATION FILED DEC. 21,1905. 966,978;

Patented Aug. 9, 1910.

E. A. ADCOGK. KEYBOARD MEUHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES.

APPLIOATION FILED 13130.2], 1908.

966,978. Patented Aug; 9, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD AUGUSTUS ADCOCK, 0F READING, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE PULSOMETER EZE TGINEERING COMPANY, LIMITED, OF READING, ENGLAND.

i j KEYBOARD MECHANISM FOR PRINTIN G-MAGHIN ES.

Specification of Letters Patent. I P t nted Aug. 9, 1910.

Appliation filed December 21, mos. Serial No. 468,654.

To all whom it mag; concern:

Be 1t known tiat I, EDWARD AUGUSTUS 'ADCOGK, a subject of the King of Great -Britain and Ireland, residin at Reading, in the county of Berks, Eng and, have invented Improvements in or Relating to Keyboard Mechanism for Printing-Machines, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates more particularly to that kind of keyboard-mechanism for type setting and type distributing machines wherein lever (hereinafter called for distinction lifting levers) are used for actuating tylpe ejectors, shutters or other devices and t levers a power ,drlven actuating device, such as a? pivoted plate, power transmitting def vices, such as catches or pawls ivoted to the respective lifting levers,-and ey operated devices, such as levers, for controlling the position of the powertransmittin'g devices, the arrangement being such that normally each power transmitting device will be held by the corresponding key operated device-1n a position in which the power driven actuatmg device cannot come into'operative con-' nection with such transmitting device and the corresponding lifting lever but upon depressin a key, "the corresponding power transm1tting device will be caused to assume a position in which the said actuating device W1 I operate it and the corresponding liftlng lever and cause the latter to actuate, for example, a ty eejector-in the case of a ty e setting ma ine, or a shutter and other evices 1n the case of a type distributing machine, the various art s afterward automatically resu'ming t eiroriginal positions, if the ke is. released, ready to again go through t e same. cycle of operations when a ke is again operated.

c T epresent invention has speclal reference to improvements in the construction of key-board mechanism of the kind referred to whereby greateraccuracy of working 1s msured, the constructionof the various. parts simplified, the assembling of the arts facil tated, the return of the parts to t eir correct normal position 'nsur'ed, the touch of the key levers readily a justed to suit different requirements and the removal of a key lever Without disturbing other key levers rendered.

practicable.

For these pur oses key board mechanism of the kind re erred to is, ac

cording to the present invention, constructed ere are used in conjunction with such in the improved manner that will now be described with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation, Fig.

2 a partial plan and Figs. 3 and 4 partial The front cross member 6 has extending respectively along its upper and lower sides and adjacent to its rear ed e, upwardly and downwardly extending xi 5 e, e respectively (Fig. 3) that are formed, as b 'millng, w th a series of vertical note es or grooves e c, the notches e in the upper rib e being adapted to receive and guide the front ends of the lifting levers a, while' those et in the lower rib e are adapted. to receive and guide the key levers c. The

front ends of the side members 9 and intermediate portions of'the said front crossmember e are formed with upper and lower forwardly extending perforated lugs or bearings h, It respectively through the u per of which, namely h, and the front'per orated ends of the said lifting levers w,- a

transverse pivot pin or shaft 11 can be easily passed, .while throu h the lower lugs or earings h and key evers 0 another transcarry such key levers. The rear cross member g is formed with a series of vertical notc es f corres onding tothose in the upper rib e of tie front vcross member e to receive and guide the rear ends of the lifting levers a. These rear ends of the levers 0:, which may be notched at the underside, as at or, are each connected to' a spring in, that serves to return the lever, when released, to its lower and inoperative position and hold itagainst the bottom of its uide notch j" in the rear cross member f w ich serves as a fixed stop to normally maintain it in the inoperative position. The several springs k, which ma be coiled springs as shown, are or may 1e connected at their lower ends to one or more transverse rods m mounted in lugs m fixed to verse pin or shaft 7' can be easily passed to l as a hard metal plate removablyattached to accurate spacing of the levers by the solid portions of the guides whereby smoothness of workin is obtained, it being furthermore practicable to withdraw any particular lever without disturbing the remainder.

The key levers 0 are normally maintained in their inoperative position by a transverse abutment 0 upon or against which their inner ends are caused to bear under the action of their individual springs 20., The abutment 0 is or may advantageously be formed the upper side of an intermediate cross member 9 ofthe key'board frame so as to admit of ready adjustment in a horizontal direction.

The power transmitting devices or pawls b are each constructed and arranged substantially as heretofore, so as to be released when the corresponding key lever 0 is operated and to be returned to its inoperative position and held in that position when the key lever is released and the lifting lever a carrying it is returned to its lower and inoperative position. The portion of the lever a to which the pawl-Iris applied is strengthened by a metal disk a fixed to one side thereof and carrying the pin l), upon which the pawl- 12 is journaled, and also the pin Z2? used to limit the motion of the pawl when moving into its operative position. .The power driven actuating device d, preferably in the form of a pivoted plate as heretofore, is mounted to turn in bearings g in the side members 9 of the keyboard frame, and is, also as heretofore, adapted to be swung to and fro through a suitable are, as by a cam and lever, so as to engage and displace any pawl b which may be released by its corres 0nding key lever c and allowed to descen into the path of the said plate.

To enable the touch of the key levers 0 to be readily'adjusted, the springs p for normally holding such levers in their inoperative position and for release, are fixed upon a spindle that is capable of being readily adjusted in a rotary direction to vary the pressure of the springs upon all the levers simultaneously and of being afterward fixed in the adjusted position. In the arrangement'shown for this purpose by way of example in the accompanying drawings, the sprmgs p, in the form of blade springs, are each. arranged to act against the lower side of the forwardly extending arm of the corresponding key lever a carrying the linger key 0 the inner end of the spring being fixed to a transverse spindle 1', that may be hollow, as shown, common to all the springs. The ends of the spindle are journaled in bearings s in the opposite side portions of the base plate a of the machine and one of such ends is provided with a ratchet wheel t, adapted to be rotated by a handle or key, and with which a spring detent u pivoted to the base plate is arranged to normally engage. 1" in one direction, the pressure of the springs 72 against the key levers 0' can be increased, and upon disengaging the detent u from the wheel 15 and turning the spindle more or less in the opposite direction, the pressure of the springs p can be diminished, the detent in each case serving to hold the spindle and springs in the adjusted position. To enable the spindle r with springs p to be readily removed from the base plate, the ratchet Wheel t may, shown, be fixed to a sleeve '11 mounted to turn in the bearing a in the corresponding side of the base plate n and adapted to fit and engage a reduced end portion r of the spindle, the arrangement being such that upon removing the sleeve with ratchet wheel from the spindle, the latter, with attachedsprings p, can be at once removed from the base plate.

What I claim is 1. In key-board mechanism for a typesetting or type distributing machine of the kind referred to, a keyboard frame having integral therewith a'transverse front member having upper and lower sets of vertical slots for supporting and guiding two sets of levers.

*2. In key-board mechanism for a. type-setting or type distributing machine of the kind referred to, a key-board frame having integral therewith a front transverse lever supporting and guidingmember, said transverse member having upper and lower sets of vertical slots for supporting and guiding two sets of levers and also at its upper side forwardly. extending rod supporting lugs.

3. In key-board mechanism for a type-setting or type distributin machine of the kind referred to, a keyoard frame comprising longitudinal side members and front and rear transverse lever supporting members, the front member being formed with upper and lower sets of vertical slots and the rear member with an upper set of slots, for spacing and uiding levers.

4. In key-boar mechanism for a type setting or type distributing machine of the kind referred to, adrey board frame, longitudinally arranged lifting levers and key levers, a transverse front lever support integral with said frame and formed with upper and lower slots to respectively receive,

By rotating the wheel t and spindle ea, kguide and space' the rear ends of the lifting qlvers. a

and space the front ends of the lifting levers and the corresponding key-levers and wit ear transverse lever support integral with diframe and formed with slots to receive,

5,; In keyboard mechanism for a type-sets g for type, distributing machine of the g ltigndireferred to, a key-board frame having affront: transverse lever supportthat is in tegral therewith an dformedat its upper ,partiwith a vertical setof slots and with fo'rwar dly'extending' lugs, a rod carried by saidlngs and hgngitudinally arranged liftisingleverls bai ing their front ends extending th ough th'eslots and pivoted to said rod.

: ti -gln;litey-boardmechanism for a type-setting or, type distributin machine of 'the kind -referred to, a keyoard frame comprising longitudinal side members and a "transverse front member integral with each "other, said transverse member'being formed with a set of downwardly extending slots, a

1 rod extending transversely through the slotted lower part of said transverse memberp'a setof longitudinally arranged key levers: extending through the slots and W otedto gsaid rod, and a second transverse member arranged to the rear of said front members and adapted to limit downward movement of the inner ends of said key levers. a i i i I u 7. In key-board mechanism for a type setting and type distributing machine of the kind referred to, a key-board frame, longitudinall arranged lifting levers and key levers, a front transverse lever support, integral with said frame and having an upwardly extending slotted rib to accommo-- date and guide the front ends of said lifting-levers and a downwardly extending slotted rib to space and guide said key-levers.

8. In key-board mechanism for a type setting and type distributing machine of the kind referred to, a key board frame comprising side members integral with front transversely arranged supporting, guiding and spacingmeans, for lifting-levers and lKty IlGVGIS with transversely arranged rear supporting, guiding'and spacing means for the lifting levers. Y

9. In key-board mechanism for a type setting and type distributing machine of the kindt-referred-tm a key-board frame having sidemembers formed with upper forwardly 'exte ding lugs, a cross member integral I abutment.

'kind referred to,

extending lugs, a cross member integral With said side members, lower forwardly extending lugs formed thereon, a shaft passing through and in part supported by said lugs and key-levers mountedo'n said shaft.

11. In key-board mechanism for a type setting and'type distributingmaehine of the 'kind' referred-to, a key-board frame comprising side members, an upper frontcr'oss' member, a lower front member and a rear cross member each integral with said side members and formed with a number of 'vertr cal slots, upper forwardly extending lugs I and lower forwardly extending lugs fermed on said side and cross members, as raft passing through and supported by the upper forwardly extending lugs, lifting levers having their front ends mountedon said shaft and their rear ends extending through the slots in the rear cross support, a shaft passing through and supported by said lower forwardly extending, lugs, lugs carried bythe rear ends of said side frames, transverse rods mounted in "sa d lugs and springs connecting saidtransverse rods and the rear ends of saidlifting levers.

as l

12. In key boardumechanism for altype setting and type distributing machineof kind referred to, a keyboard frame having side members formed with lower forwardly extendin lugs, a slotted cross member integral wit 1 said side members, lower forwardly extending lugs formed on said cross member, a shaft passing through and sup? ported by said lugs, key-levers mounted on said shaft, a transverse support intermediate of the front and rear ends of said side members, an abutment on said transverse support and a spring to-each key-lever for normally holding said key-lever againstsaid abutment.

13. In key-board mechanism fora type setting and type distributing machine of'the' kind referred to, akeyboard frame having side members formed with lower forwardly extending lugs, a slotted cross member in tegral with said side members, lower for wardly extending lugs formed on said cross member, a shaft passing through and sup ported by said lugs, key-levers mounted 'on said shaft, a transverse support intermedi too ate of the front and rear ends of said side members, an abutment on said transversesupport, a'transverse spindle mounted in said frame, a plurality of springs mounted thereon'and arranged to normally hold each of said key l'evers in contact with said 14. In key-board mechanism'for a setting and type distributing machineof the a key-board frame having side members formed with lower forwardly extending in s, a slotted cross member integral with sai side members, lower forwardly extending lugs formed on said cross memframe, separate springs mounted thereon and arranged to normally hold said keylevers in contact with said abutment and means whereby said spindle can be partly rotated to vary the pressure of said springs -against said key lever.

In key board mechanism for a type setting and type'distributing machine of the hind referred to, a key-board frame having side members formed with lower forwardly extending. lugs, a slotted cross member integral \vithsaid side members, lower forwardly extending lugs formed on said cross member, a shaft passing through and supported by said lugs, key-levers mounted on said shaft, a transverse support intermediate of the front and rear ends of said side members, an abutment on said transverse support, a transverse spindle mounted in said frame, separate blade springs mounted on said spindle and acting se )arately against the key levers to normally hold them in contact with said abutment and means whereby said spindle can be partly .rotated for simultaneously varying the pressure of all of said springs against said key-levers. v

16. In a key-board frame for a type-setting or type distributing machine, key-levers mounted in said frame, a transverse spindle journaled at one end in one side of said frame, a rotary -detachable carrier journaled in the opposite. side of said frame and adapted to support the other end of the spindle and to rotate said spindle, blade springs fixed to said spindle and each acting against the underside of one of said hey levers, a toothed wheel fixed to said carrier and means for preventing accidental return movement of said spindle and carrier as the .main spindle andlhe other as a rolary adjustable carrier therefor, blade springs fixed to the main part of said spindle and each acting against the underside of one of said key-levers, a toothed Wheel fixed to the carrier part of sa spindle, and means for preventing accidental return movement of the compound spindle after rotary adjustment thereof.

Signed at London, England, this 9th day of December 1908.

- EDWARD AUGUSTUS ADCOCK.

Witnesses:

\V. Gnoss, F. J. BaoUeHAM. 

